(Whatever happened to working your way back up the ladder after a loss?)

Apparently Lyoto Machida is trying to jump to the front of the line of fighters in the queue to face Mauricio Rua when the UFC light heavyweight champ returns from rehabbing from knee surgery he underwent a few weeks ago.

According to an interview he did with MMAJunkie, Machida’s manager Ed Soares says that his charge’s first choice of fights would be a rubbermatch with Rua, but since according to UFC president Dana White, Shogun will likely be sidelined until March, they would instead like to battle for an interim belt with the man who is said to be next in line for a shot at the real belt.

"Honestly, we’d like to fight ‘Shogun,’" Machida’s manager, Ed Soares, today told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "Now it’s 1-1. It’s even. Let’s do this rubber match. Let’s figure this out. Granted, he won by decision and Lyoto won decisively, but anyone can get caught in this sport. He went in for the kill, and unfortunately, he got caught."

"Since ‘Shogun’ is out – they’re saying until March – personally, when there’s an injured champion, I would love to see maybe a Rashad-Lyoto match for the interim title. I think that would be something that would be cool, and the winner of that would get to fight ‘Shogun’ when he’s all healed up in the spring of next year."

Wait a minute. When did Ed Soares take over Joe Silva’s job and why should he get to pick who Machida fights for an interim title that he thinks the UFC should create? Maybe Ed should worry more about things that are under his control, like translating Portuguese into English. Two words for you, Ed, Rosetta Stone

I’m all for immediate rematches — title or no — when the loser gets shafted by a debatable decision like Rua-Machida I, but Lyoto was knocked out cold in the last fight, and should be sent down a few rungs of the UFC’s light heavyweight ladder to work his way back up to contention.

Interim titles themselves are somewhat useless. They’re like the "take a number" machines at the supermarket deli counter that are supposed to prevent people like Lyoto from jumping in front of you to order their head cheese or liverwurst. Even with the machines in place and the big red flashing numbers behind the counter, you always get one idiot who realizes after a few minutes go by that he doesn’t have a number and he suckers someone into giving him theirs by telling them he "was here before all of these people."

Guess what, Lyoto, you aren’t the champ anymore. Take a number and wait in line like everybody else. They may be out of Rashads and Ruas when your number is called, but there’s plenty of Rampages, Baders and Forrests for you to sample while you wait.

Cagepotato Comments

Showing 1-25 of comments

It would be a great rematch, since Machida was the first person to beat Franklin, and the only other person to beat him besides Anderson and Belfort (don't give me that crap about Dan Henderson).

Plus, this has significant upside for the UFC. Having a name like Franklin will help sell the fight. If Machida wins, it only furthers his name with the casual audience. If Franklin somehow pulls it off, they could legitimately put Franklin up for a title shot, since Machida is still the #2 guy in the division. And the UFC would love to see a good company man like Franklin get one more crack at a belt before he hangs up his gloves. Win-win.

Shogun is champ. Set the tournament for one night outdoors in the desert outside Phoenix. Winner gets Shogun. Anyone who gets effed in the tournament for whatever reason would get a shot at the champ quickly, because Joe Silva knows how to do his goddamn job.

Will this happen? Fuck NO it won't happen. But it would be awesome.

ghostboner- July 7, 2010 at 1:27 am

Also CP, Lyoto isn't taking someones number in the line, they are just letting him take cuts. You do that when someone smells like piss. Like when a bum asks for your change, you give it to him, because he smells like he has been chugging piss.

ghostboner- July 7, 2010 at 1:25 am

Wow skeletor finally crawled out of his cave. Speaking of "explosive athleticism" What about Phil Davis? He is blacthletic from what I hear. Get him one more tough fight and if he wins then I think he should be thrown in with a top 5 guy.

Dick_Gozenya- July 7, 2010 at 12:28 am

Not to get all uppity, but I was thinking about how pissed I was about the Pride GP (I know, I should try to get over that). That's when I really soured to single night tournaments. I think single night or at least tourneys where more than one bracket is settled in one night (i.e. semi-finals and finals) tend to not always produce the best man as the winner. For example, in the Pride GP, Coleman got the pass from Fujita bowing out and got to face Vovchanchyn fresh when Vovchanchyn had just come off the war with Sakuraba. I have always felt like Vovchanchyn would have tuned Coleman up as he was at the peak of his destructive powers at the time. Sadly, not unlike the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop, the world will never know. And I may be one of the few people who still truly cares. So, in conclusion, me no likey tournament format combat with multiple fights on same night

And yes I'm drinking, so what, I'm old enough.

mt59801- July 7, 2010 at 12:11 am

two words: GRAND PRIX

Dick_Gozenya- July 6, 2010 at 11:52 pm

I think Machida and Rashad should have a piss chugging contest for an interim title. Fuck it, we'll cross market with Nathan's Coney Island hotdogs and we'll turn it into a real competition, except the hotdogs will be to help wash the piss down and not the other way around.

fatbellyfrank- July 6, 2010 at 10:27 pm

but I also wouldn't mind seeing a bunch of half-cyborg humanoids duke it out with zombie dinosaurs
That would be the Cris Cyborg /Sarah Kaufman match up wouldn't it?

LAS- July 6, 2010 at 10:18 pm

@snatchuraba

Except you're ignoring the thing that has fucked nearly every tournament in the history of the sport: injuries. When was the last time you saw a tournament in which injuries/disparity in prelim fights didn't play a major role in determining the outcome? The counterargument to the tournament format is so well-established it hardly bears repeating. Spreading it out over several months only insures that people will have a chance of hurting themselves not only in the fights, but also in training, still ruining your master scheme of perfect matchmaking.

Yes, Strikeforce is suggesting they want to do a tournament. They're also suggesting they want to sign Batista. Does this mean the UFC should go sign John Cena or Randy Orton?

And, at the very least, you should be ashamed of posting such a fanboyish and clichéd idea. Really, I wouldn't mind seeing a tournament, but I also wouldn't mind seeing a bunch of half-cyborg humanoids duke it out with zombie dinosaurs or something equally retarded. As noted above, that's what movies and video games are for.

Almost North- July 6, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Machida doesn't need to work his way back up the ladder, he has his own ladder.

Hint: Its made of piss.

koscheck cmon son- July 6, 2010 at 10:08 pm

give machida rampage, its his turn to do the stanky leg.

budsellers- July 6, 2010 at 8:59 pm

black house is cool, but machida definitely needs to drink more piss and win at least 1 or 2 fights before fighting for a #1 spot. match him with griffin as a gimme, but then make him fight the winner of little nog vs rampage.

as for rua, perhaps there should be considerations for an interim title until his return is actually determined, but who really cares as long as they keep making good fights in this division. personally, i do not want to see rashad with a belt before he beats rua.

as for ed soares, i think he is doing his job and that does not always serve the fans. he is a hyped-up, weasly-looking, overweight, money-skimming manager/agent and his job probably contributed to some of those traits, but most of us would jump at the chance to have his job.

nbraccia- July 6, 2010 at 8:57 pm

It's pretty clear that the "interim" titles exist for marketing purposes, enabling the UFC to offer 5 round fights to anchor multiple PPVs per year regardless of the health of their 5 champions.

While I think it's a hollow notion, it does have the ability to offer up more fight satisfaction for the $50 PPV value. I'm thinking of Evans/Jackson, Evans/Thiago Silva and Jardine/Jackson. 3 round decisions just don't leave viewers feeling like they have a lot of value for their PPV buck. I'm sure the UFC marketing honchos have done testing that show purchase intent goes down following non 5-round, decision main events. Interim titles bouts provide a guarantee that PPVs have a more substantial (no matter how contrived) feeling to them.

It's as ridiculous as calling "Sudden Death" "Sudden Victory", but I understand why they do it and these choices are small prices to pay for the quality product they provide, IMO.

Sakuraba3900- July 6, 2010 at 8:44 pm

And im pretty sure that JCVD movies had the tournys over a couple of days...

LAS = Fail

Sakuraba3900- July 6, 2010 at 8:39 pm

Its not an idiotic idea... The 4 sets of fights can be put in 2 different events in one month possibly in 2 weeks the semis the following event and the finals in the one after that. If you look at it it could be done in a years span. In the mean time Shogun gets healed and even has the time to get a super fight in with Anderson Silva...

That right there ^^^ would be utter perfection.

Another thing too im pretty sure that Strikeforce is putting up a tourny for the 185lb strap. So its obviously not outta the question.

Sakuraba3900- July 6, 2010 at 8:31 pm

@AO8L

Im pretty sure I just saw two teamates from Xtreme Couture duke it out in a good scrap at 155... Its not something thats impossible especially since the goal of every fighter/competitor is to be the best, THE CHAMP.

You should prob pull your head outta your ass if anything.

LAS- July 6, 2010 at 8:31 pm

'Hey, guys, I have this great idea! The UFC should take all its top contenders at LHW and put them into a tournament! And let's do it all in one night!!!!! Did you know the UFC has a lot of top 205ers?!!! And did you know the best thing do when you have a bunch of good guys in one class is stick them in a one-night tournament! Holy ! Shit! I'd pay at least $250 for a card like that!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing could possibly go wrong with this idea!???!!!'

Does every post about number-one contenders or interim belts have to have the obligatory idiotic post about having a tournament? For fuck's sake. Tournaments are for Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, not combat sports in the 21st century.

fatbellyfrank- July 6, 2010 at 8:30 pm

Ed Soares is a dick, I know he's looking after his camp, but Machida got the piss knocked out of him by Shogun, so now has to go to the back of the line

Spartacus81- July 6, 2010 at 8:23 pm

Rubber match? WHY? Shogun already beat him twice in a row to everyone who matters.

Ballkick- July 6, 2010 at 8:13 pm

Yeah i really wish i could pick who I wanted to see fight next, my Vote:
Chris Leben (Drunk) vs Chris Leben (Sober). Now that my friends......is entertainment.

rite leg ospitahl- July 6, 2010 at 7:44 pm

@jim

about half way down this page i was thinking "damn soares is getting bout bad as fedors boys" then i see somebody beat me to it. at least im not the only one. similarities are right on really. dumb as hell, always spin it for his fighter, and regaurdless of record and actual fact he will always think his guys are gods gift.

yeah this really boils down to how long rashad wants to wait. he's number one contender right now. there is plenty of time to have non belted fights to figure out who would be next after rashad. i say lil nog still fights forrest after machida fights jones. rampage can fight..... silva? we dont always have to have somebody wearing a belt. just wait. everybody knows its not the "real" belt.

Jim Harbaugh Scramble- July 6, 2010 at 7:06 pm

When did Ed Soares take over Joe Silva's job and why should he get to pick who Machida fights for an interim title that he thinks the UFC should create?

He's been trying to make Anderson's matches for years. Why not do the same with Machida?

Lysol- July 6, 2010 at 7:01 pm

^^The guy clearly has translation issues. Either that, or it's Opposite Day and nobody told us.

Jim Harbaugh Scramble- July 6, 2010 at 6:52 pm

Granted, he won by decision and Lyoto won decisively

Actually, Ed it was shogun who won decisively and Lyoto who was gifted a decision.

WTF are you talking about Sore-ass?

Sore-ass is as bad as M-1 Global.

Mikey- July 6, 2010 at 6:48 pm

Ed Soares is just campaigning for his fighter. Big deal. Chill out, CP.

Get Off Me- July 6, 2010 at 6:37 pm

For the sake of entertainment only, Lyoto v. Evans 2 please. I do not think Evans should be shelved until March, the 205 division is full of great fights and this is one that they could do, I think it's a good draw for fans and a solid co-main event. What exactly did Rashad prove in his back to back decision victories really? It might be fucked, but Rashad got tagged in his last 3 fights, Lyoto finished him, Page missed two fight ending rights by a pussy whisker and T.Silva(with sciatica) had him in the red zone in the third round.
It's arrogant of dirty Soares, but what do you expect from this fight fixer?
The decision should lie with Rashad and if he really wants to wait until March to fight again, which is fine and safe, but the first guy he should want to payback is Machida if he wants to get a fight in before that. It's putting the #1 contender status up for another about 350k plus plus for Rashad type of deal.

Charming Charlie- July 6, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Yeah, eat a dick Sores. Only MMA websites are allowed to suggest matches.

Guess what Mike Russel, you are the champ now.

axhed- July 6, 2010 at 6:11 pm

@brandon69
let me be the first to welcome you to the internet, and congratulations on finding a unique user name.

skeletor- July 6, 2010 at 5:57 pm

@sakuraba390
the tournament competition sounds awesome, and the contenders sound awesome, but I don't know if the world is ready for Jones and Rashad to be in the same cage. That is way to much explosive athletisism in one place at the same time.... if you know what I mean.

TheArtof8Limbs- July 6, 2010 at 5:56 pm

Rampage has already stated that he doesn't want to fight another "boring" fighter in Machida. Bones and Rashad will not fight each other because they train together. Pull your head outta your ass snatchuraba

2DaDeath- July 6, 2010 at 5:54 pm

Machida vs. Griffin is a great idea only because i like watching Griffin run out of the cage after getting completely dominated like a blonde in an interracial gangbang porno.

DangadaDang- July 6, 2010 at 5:53 pm

Unless Ed Soares misspoke, Shogun was the one who won decisively

Sakuraba3900- July 6, 2010 at 5:43 pm

Lil Nog v. Rampage

Machida v. FoGrif

Bader v. Franklin

Bones Jones v. Rashad

winners fight each other

end result true number one contender

Fuck imagine how awesome it would be if they had a tourny with these guys all in one night

Brandon69- July 6, 2010 at 5:26 pm

PS whats with this "first" crap ? does it really matter who comments first ?

MediumRare- July 6, 2010 at 5:26 pm

Machida vs Rampage.

Settled. Move on.

Brandon69- July 6, 2010 at 5:24 pm

Let Machida fight Jones if Jon beats Vlady. Should let us know where Jones is at, and how well Machida can come back from such a devastating loss.

cecils_pupils- July 6, 2010 at 5:22 pm

Nope - sorry Soares... and fuck you. Everyone is just gonna have to wait until Shogun heals up. You don't get to ask for an interim title shot, it is offered to you if you earn it. Machida is gonna have to beat a few LHW's to earn any sort of title shot back, just like Rashad did.

Soares = arrogant ass

rockbacklash- July 6, 2010 at 5:22 pm

I like the sound of Machida vs Bader. We don't need to see the same people fighting over and over...